Assessing building services

Services account for a major proportion of the cost of a modern building. If defective they can cause considerable inconvenience to occupants, require costly repairs and in some cases pose a serious threat to health and safety. As a result the liability associated with assessing services has increased, leaving many residential property practitioners lacking confidence when it comes to their inspections.

The building services addressed in this section are:

• electrical installations;
• water;
• heating systems and their fuels; and
• drainage.

This section is maintained by Tim Jones of Atherstone St. James Ltd.

RICS standards and guidance: Asbestos and its implications for surveyors and their clients (3rd edition), 2011. The legislation in this document is out of date, but the guidance is useful. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website provides up-to-date guidance on legislation and procedures.

RICS standards and guidance: Health and safety for residential property managers (1st edition), 2016.